Interventional Radiology

Varicose Vein Treatment

Many factors contribute to the formation of varicose and spider veins, which include age, gravity and genetics. Your veins carry blood from the capillaries back to the heart. In our legs, this means the blood has to flow upward, against gravity. These veins have one-way valves to prevent the blood from back flowing. Over time, these valves can weaken and fail, not closing tightly. This is a medical condition called venous insufficiency. This causes blood to pool in the vein, which produces the bulging and twisted characteristic of varicose veins that are purplish in color.

Traditional treatment for the condition involves the patient receiving general anesthesia, surgical vein stripping and ligation with lengthy recovery time of about six weeks. New medical technology eliminates unsightly varicose veins with no surgery, no downtime and no hospital stay.
normal vein vs. dilated vein

Radiofrequency Ablation or VNUS ClosureFast
Radiofrequency ablation is a minimally invasive solution for treating varicose veins. This procedure is performed in our office by our Interventional Radiologist and usually takes about an hour. The incompetent or refluxing vein is accessed and a small catheter is inserted. Radiofrequency is used to create energy or heat that will cause the vein to shut down or close. The blood then finds other routes to enter the deep venous system in your leg and return to your heart. This process is very similar to the ELVS treatment, however, most patients experience less discomfort during the procedure and less post-treatment bruising.
vnus closurefast
Endovascular Laser Venous System (ELVS) for your Legs
The ELVS procedure is an outpatient treatment that is performed by our Interventional Radiologists, usually in about one hour. ELVS delivers just the right wavelength of laser energy to target tissue, causing the incompetent vein to close. Once the vein is sealed shut, other healthy veins take over and empty blood from your legs. ELVS is “minimally invasive,” meaning it requires only a small opening in the skin through which the laser fiber is inserted into the vein. There is really no “recovery” to speak of: You’ll be up and walking as soon as it’s over and will return to normal activity within one to two days. The risk of infection is extremely low and it involves minimal discomfort.


Sclerotherapy Injection Process
Sclerotherapy involves the direct injection of a sclerosing agent into the varicose vein using a very fine needle. This chemical solution irritates the vein tissue, causing the lining of the vein to swell, harden and eventually seal off. After injection, a pressure bandage is applied to the site to compress the vein. It’s usually painless because the solution injected isn’t very concentrated. Still, you may feel a slight stinging or burning sensation as it is injected. Sclerotherapy may cause temporary bruising at the injection sites, which goes away within a week or so.


Ambulatory Phlebectomy
Ambulatory phlebectomy micro-extraction is a medical procedure that allows for the removal of large surface varicose veins through very small incisions that require no stitches. Unlike traditional vein litigation and stripping, it can be performed in a doctor’s office. During the procedure, the physician makes micro-incisions or needle punctures as small a 1 mm in diameter in your leg. The physician then uses a phlebectomy hook to extract the varicose vein through the micro-incision or needle puncture.

After Treatment
After any of the above vein procedures, the treated leg is wrapped with compression bandages, followed by a prescription strength compression stocking. After 24 hours, the compression bandages can be removed and the compression stocking alone is worn for 10 - 14 days. This process helps prevent complications such as bleeding or deep vein thrombosis (DVT). It also helps compress the treated veins to facilitate closure of the vein. Patients can resume normal activity immediately after the procedure. It is recommended that patients refrain from strenuous activity or heavy lifting for 3 - 5 days.

patient 1 before patient 1 after patient 2 before patient 2 after

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